Hiring and Training Incentives for Employers
MA Workforce Training Fund
What is the MA Workforce
Training Fund?
The
Workforce Training Fund is a state fund enacted into law in July 1998 and
financed entirely by Massachusetts employers, through their unemployment
insurance compensation fees. The Workforce Training Fund’s purpose is to provide
resources to Massachusetts businesses and workers to train current and newly
hired employees.
The 4 Grant Programs Currently Offered:
The
Express Program
Workforce
Training Fund Express is targeted to small employers -- with 50 employees or
less -- and labor organizations. Applicants must choose a training course or
program from a pre-approved training directory. Applications may be submitted
online at any time. Grants are up to $3,000 per employee per course and up to
$15,000 per year per employer.
The General Program
The
Workforce Training Fund's General Program is designed for large and small
businesses, labor and business organizations. Applications requesting more than
$50,000 are by deadline and are reviewed by an advisory panel of business and
labor leaders. Grant requests of $50,000 and under may be submitted on a rolling
basis. If a completed application requesting $50,000 or less is received
by the first business day of the month, it will be reviewed by the end of the
month.
The ESOL/Adult
Basic Ed. Grant Program
The
Workforce Training Fund extended its ABE/ESOL pilot initiative through June,
2007, encouraging employers to apply for training grants focusing
exclusively or primarily
on adult basic education (ABE) and/or English for speakers of other languages (ESOL).
Grant applications must follow the usual WTF guidelines and applicants are encouraged to apply online. Up to $2 million has been set aside for this initiative. Applicants may apply during one of the 3 regular "rounds" per year, or may apply for up to $50,000 during the rolling, monthly application process.
Applications
responding to this initiative will not be affected by the "6-month rule" that
applies to all other applications to the workforce training fund; that is, there does not need to be 6 months
between the close of a prior grant and the approval of an ABE/ESOL grant.
(Where an applicant has previously received a grant from the Workforce Training
Fund General Program, the Division of Career Services will generally not
consider for approval an application for a new grant earlier than six months
from the close of the prior General Program grant.)
The
Hiring Incentive Training Grant Program
The WTF
Hiring Incentive Training Grant Program is open to all employers. It provides
training grants of up to $2,000 per employee and up to $30,000 a year per
company. This program assists in paying training costs for newly hired employees
who have been unemployed over a year and those that do not have a call-back date
from their last employer.
New Service Available:
If you are an employer or labor organization applying individually (without a partner), a new online General Program Training Grant application is available.
Important Note: Under new legislation, grants over $250,000 and up to $1 Million may be awarded. These grants will be awarded in exceptional circumstances. Criteria for these grants are the same as for all WTF grants; however, those training programs resulting in significant job creation and job retention will receive additional consideration.
Budget requests must be matched dollar for dollar, and may include cash or in-kind contributions. The match is most often the wages employers pay to workers while they are in training.
For general assistance in identifying trainers and preparing the application contact the Workforce Training Fund staff at the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training at 1-800-252-1591 or visit www.detma.org or contact the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board at (508) 584-3234.
The focus of training under the WTF program is:
Most employers have limited time/resources to utilize for employee training and development, and lack capacity to administer grants.
Understanding this, the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board specializes in providing no or low-cost solutions to this problem!
· Provide direct assistance and services throughout the grant writing process
Performance Management-
Proper grant performance management impacts both business performance and employee satisfaction. BAWIB has worked with many companies to create or enhance their grant performance management systems.
BAWIB Contact: Maria Carey Lallemand
508-584-3234 Ext 17
Employer Hiring Incentives:
BAWIB can help you access the following incentives, which are available to employers hiring individuals transitioning off of welfare and those from other targeted populations, such as the permanently separated unemployed. For more information on how to access the incentives, please contact us or CareerWorks Employer Services Team.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a federal income tax credit that encourages private sector employers to hire eight targeted groups of job seekers. This incentive can save your business up to 40 percent of qualified wages in federal income taxes to a maximum of $2,400 per employee working more than 400 hours for their first year of employment. These employer tax credits are an important tool in a diverse toolbox of flexible strategies designed to help people gain on-the-job experience and move from welfare to work.
Welfare to Work Tax Credit (WTWTC)
The Welfare to Work Tax Credit is a federal income tax credit that encourages businesses to hire long-term welfare recipients. Employers can get tax credits as high as 35% for the first year of employment and 50% for the second year of employment. To qualify, new hires must be employed at least 400 hours or 180 days.
How to apply for the WOTC and the WTWTC: To apply for either the Work Opportunity Tax Credit or the Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit, employers should complete a pre-screening notice (IRS Form 8850) before hiring a qualified applicant, and must complete ETA Form 9061 or 9062 from the employee if he/she has already been conditionally certified by the state, and a one-page form to document the employees eligibility. The required forms and instructions can also be obtained by calling a Fax-On Demand Service at 1-877-828-2050. For IRS Form 8850, request Document Number 103; For ETA Form 9061, request Document Number 104. For more information call the Massachusetts WOTC Coordinator at (617) 626-5363 or visit www.uses.doleta.gov/wtw.asp.
For more information on these incentives and other workforce related issues please contact:
Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 584-3234
CareerWorks
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 513-3400
Hiring Resources
One Stop Career Centers
The One-Stop Career Center System, with more than 35 career centers and 5 satellites in the Commonwealth, is the mandated system for the delivery of workforce services to jobseekers and businesses. This regional system is overseen by the business-led Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) who work in partnership with Chief Elected Officials (CEO).
CareerWorks
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 513-3400
Hiring Workers
People are the key resource for most businesses. Successful hiring is a specific initiative that is extremely relevant in creating a quality organization that is able to meet the demands of a tight labor market. Don’t wait until you have a need. Put a strategy in place that allows a continuous flow of quality people seeking employment. Hiring quickly and hiring well are the two main goals.
There is no generally accepted "best" way to recruit prospective employees. It is important to remember that recruitment needs to be continuous, personal, and active, but also fair and open. Advertise, but advertise wisely. Developing relationships with a range of programs, centers, charitable organizations, schools and churches can result in potential non-traditional recruiting sources. Adopting these simple strategies can help you move from being a traditional recruiter to a progressive one, allowing you to recruit smarter, not harder. By thinking out of the box, far-sighted businesses are recruiting the talent they need to meet demand head-on.
Winning Strategies:
Workforce Development Programs
Technical colleges, trade schools, and vocational training programs offered at local education institutions take a very active role in placing their graduates in suitable jobs. Many offer fulltime placement as well as internships and part-time placements.
CareerWorks
34 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 513-3400
Training Resources of America
144 Main Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 587-6115
Massasoit Community College
One Massasoit Boulevard
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 588-9100
Southeastern Technical Institute
250 Foundry Street
South Easton, MA 02375
(508) 238-4374
CareerWorks
CareerWorks is the region’s one stop career
center, which is chartered by The Brockton Area Workforce Board. The center
provides employers with access to a statewide and national network of
information, personalized services, connections to training, and other
employment resources. All one-stop career centers in Massachusetts are connected
to each other and the internet through a secure data network. This enables
employers to access the statewide network.
The United States Department of Labor has developed Americas Career Kit in partnership with each state and private sector organizations. These web-based tools include:
Americas Job Bank
Employers can post job listings, create customized job orders and search resumes
automatically.
Americas Learning Exchange
Provides information on education and training resources and financial aid
options.
Americas Career Information Network
Includes wage and employment trends, occupational requirements, state-by-state
labor market conditions, employer contacts, extensive career resource library.
Americas Service Locator
Information on service providers that is relevant to employment and training,
such as one-stop career centers, childcare providers, transportation services,
and others.
Training Workers
There is no longer any such thing as a stable, secure workplace. Technological change and the opening of markets to worldwide competition make it impossible for businesses to survive very long doing the same work in the same way. These changes in the ways firms do business frequently require more skills from workers than were needed in the past.
Workers - those new to the workforce and those who have been in the workforce for many years - benefit from training and need to continually upgrade their skills. In an economy that is in transition, the American worker is also finding that investing in education and job-related skills provides the best opportunity for obtaining and keeping higher paying, long-term jobs.
Current research shows that training is most effective when it takes place on the job or in a job-like setting and that the more training is linked to work, the better the result. Employer-provided training may also create more motivated trainees, more effective tutorial learning methods and more appropriate materials and equipment. Basic skills are often easier to learn when they are integrated into a training program that is specific to the context of a particular job.
This expanded set and higher level of skills now constitute "basic workplace skills." The high road to competitiveness is a long-term strategy with employers serving as partners. Three simple steps can help employers and employees start the journey down this road:
CareerWorks - CareerWorks is a one-stop information resource for employers and job seekers. Whether beginning a first job search, interested in career development, or making a mid-life career shift, the resources and information needed to be successful can be found at CareerWorks. CareerWorks provides employers with access to an unmatched labor pool of skills and professional workers. CareerWorks offers a wide range of services, information, and other resources to help further employers recruitment initiatives and support their human resources effort. CareerWorks can broker training for companies by assessing needs and designing training strategies with the employer.
Local community colleges - Provide technical assistance in assessing business skill needs, designing and offering responsive training programs, and counseling employees on their personal career plans. They can also help design customized curricula and arrange for training courses to be delivered at the employer’s worksite.
Trade Associations - Many trade associations are engaged in projecting the future of their industries and analyzing future skill needs. This information can be extremely helpful in identifying and classifying business skill needs.
Government agencies - The federal government and many state and local governments, actively support workforce development as a foundation for economic prosperity.
Other non-profit organizations - They can serve as valuable resources for employers and employees in creating career development programs.
The Committee on Post-Secondary Education and Training for the Workplace (Hansen 1994) identifies four major types of training:
Winning Strategies:
Companies thinking of launching programs should make sure they:
Mass High-Tech Entry Ramp
The Commonwealth Corporation, a quasi-public organization responsible for a wide range of public and privately funded initiatives designed to meet the labor needs of businesses, oversees the Mass High-Tech Entry Ramp program. The program is designed to: 1) help alleviate the shortage of skilled workers in high-tech occupations in Massachusetts; 2) train individuals for high-tech occupations which will increase their skill; and 3) promote partnerships between businesses, educational institutions, and intermediary organizations to develop industry-driven training programs.
Apprentice Programs
Apprenticeship programs stimulate and assist industry in developing and improving apprenticeship and other training programs designed to provide skilled workers to compete in a global economy. Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. The U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training is responsible for registering apprenticeship programs.
Individual employers or an association of employers, with or without the participation of labor unions, may apply to run apprenticeship programs. Prospective employers work with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training field representatives to develop a set of apprenticeship training standards that include an on-the-job training outline, related classroom instruction curriculum, and the apprenticeship program operating procedures. The program becomes registered if it meets Federal requirements. For more information, contact Division of Apprentice Training, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 399 Washington Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, 617-727-3488.
Customized Training/ Training Brokers
For information, please contact:
CareerWorks
157 Center Street
Brockton, MA 02302
Phone: 508-513-3400
Local Training Resources
Adult Learning Center
Massasoit Community College
Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board
Language Barriers
The Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board recognizes that many otherwise-able workers can’t succeed because English isn't their native language and their English skills are basic or non-existent. For some, English language skills open the door to job success. A major goal of the Board is to address this problem, or barrier to residents of the region realizing economic self- sufficiency.
If you have employees experiencing difficulties with the English language or other basic skills, the following institutions offer free classes in basic education, adult high school diploma, GED or English for speakers of other languages.
Adult Learning Center
Brockton Public Schools
45 Oakdale Street
Brockton, MA 02301
Phone: 508-580-7475
Massasoit Community College
1 Massasoit Boulevard
Brockton, MA 02302
Phone: 508-588-9100
CareerWorks
157 Center Street
Brockton, MA 02302
Phone: 508-513-3400